1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus that is used to mount a catalyst oriented packing (COP) loader centrally in the axial accessway of a reactor vessel as a predetermined axial position in the accessway.
2. Description of the Prior Art
COP loaders are commercially used devices that are used to load catalyst or other particulate media such as adsorbents and water softening agents into fixed bed reactor vessels. The basic elements of these loaders are: a rotatable cone or disk/cone catalyst distributor; a funnel that feeds the catalyst onto the rotating distributor; a catalyst hopper; and a conduit (commonly called a "sock") that connects the hopper to the funnel. This assembly is mounted between a pair of beam-like carriage or frame arms that are designed to span the accessway of the reactor vessel, thereby suspending the loader in the accessway. In multibed vessels the carriage arms rest on the vessel internals at the transitions between beds; whereas in single bed vessels the carriage arms typically rest on the flange about the main accessway to the vessel.
COP loaders are designed and intended to provide an even, dense, bed packing. Such packing gives a uniform flow distribution of the reactant(s) or other fluid medium through the bed and longer, better performance. The loader achieves these goals by feeding the catalyst into the bed via the spinning distributor which ideally scatters the catalyst into individual particles that free-fall individually and uniformly into the bed. In order for the loader to operate in this manner it must be seated levelly and centrally in the accessway at a fixed, predetermined axial position. If it is not so seated, maldistribution of the catalyst in the bed will occur.
The necessity to seat the loader in a level, central, fixed height manner has caused a significant difficulties in the past, particularly in multibed reactors. The loaders are positioned manually and in the past have been centered by manual measurement and leveled and height adjusted manually with shims. These manual operations were particularly difficult in multibed reactors because of the lack of space and light within the vessels. Also, the loaders must be removed periodically to permit visual inspection of the partly filled bed to ensure proper loading and replaced after each inspection. Such inspections, of course, result in time-consuming recentering, releveling and height readjusting of the loaders.
The present invention addresses the problem of properly mounting COP loaders in reactor accessways and its principal object is to provide a loader mounting device that permits rapid, easy, and accurate placement of the loader.